Fallout: Splinter Break (Kuragari)

[jondude]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Name: Kayin Dreemurr
Species: Human (start) Goat Monster (after transformation)
Gender: Male (start) Female (after transformation)
Age: 29
Appearance:
Male
Female 1, Female 2
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/59616799/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/34095938/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/40150176/

Bio: Kayin's life in the wastelands of America was a typical one. Grew up in a small settlement, felt a need to wander a bit when he got just old enough, and then he seemed to settle in a town in along the Great Lakes, somewhere in what was once Western Pennsylvania. He became a bit of a jack of all trades, doing this or that for folks and putting his brief experience from wandering the wastes to use in everything from guard duty to helping keep things running alright. He wasn't the strongest or most durable sort, but he was smart, quick enough, and he could be charming when he needed to be. All three of which had helped him get out of more than one bind over the years!

He's become a little on edge though of late. Rumors of the strange disappearances, as well as the arrival of some folks who appear to be more animal like, has people thinking about the Institute, that shadowy organization that people from the Commonwealth had liked to talk about as this big boogeyman in the shadows. Of greater importance though, one of his friends in town has gone messing, and considering the fact that he had a bit of a crush on them and been planning to try and see if maybe they could start seeing each other as more than just buddies, he's been trying to track down any hints or clues about her disappearance. But so far, nothing, and its been a week and he's growing ever more worried...

Stats: 8 points to start, max is +5 to start, min is -2(if you want to put more points elsewhere)
Strength -2
Perception 1
Endurance -2
Charisma 2
Intelligence 3
Agility 2
Luck 2

Perks:
Jack of All Trades: Kayin's time as a wanderer and scavver encouraged him to become good at things he wouldn't have been able to otherwise. +1 to skill rolls at GM discretion.

The day for you started like much of all the same in the north west wastes of New York: quietly

Really though, that was a good thing. Your most recent, well, home you suppose even if you were typically fairly mobile was a modest sized settlement that went by the name of Cayuga. Named for the lake it bordered, the town was probably the biggest of it's kind for fifty miles in any direction, consisting a couple thousand people that can make a life farming and scavenging from other old world sites. It was a pretty nice spot overall too, with a decent amount of green foliage and spared the worst of the nuclear war unlike the coastal parts of the state. That was part of what made it so popular as the lake, while still somewhat polluted, was only slightly so that it made treating it much easier then many other bodies of water. Recently however you've spent nearly the last year here, drawn to stay by a friend of yours, Lucia, who you admit you've grown quite fond of.

Unfortunately, Lucia went missing a week ago.

Lucia had her own shop that primarily dealt with robotic components, though naturally like many shops offered a little bit of everything. Selling to her was how you met, and you ended up doing jobs for her, then with her. You were fast friends, but recently she left town to go to a settlement in Michigan. An order to deliver some custom made sentry bots she had managed to rebuild and rearm. The payout had been fantastic, though the trip would take a few weeks there and back. Naturally she was apart of another trade convoy when she left, but she should be back by now. Where they delayed you wonder? Given the destination it was possible that maybe a whole multitude of factors had delayed them. Still, it was slightly over a week... your worry was starting to build, especially with all these rumored disappearances starting to happen. Very similar to what you heard coming from Boston a year or so ago before that whole area seemed to basically explode in conflict between the enigmatic Institute, the Brotherhood of Steel, and force that was the Minute man that seemed to resurrect like a phoenix out of the middle of nowhere!

As you get up from your bed, you find yourself idly playing a small key ring. Lucia had trusted you enough to give you the keys to her shop, just to check on it from time to time and make sure no vermin moved in. Maybe you should go investigate a little? Lucia was a avid journaler so maybe you might be able to get some better details from her trip?

[Kuragari]

Inventory

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

10mm Classic Pistol
10mm Ammo
Jacket
White Casual Shirt
Jeans
Gum drops

Cayuga was a nice enough place. It'd be a much better place though if I could figure out what happened to my friend, and bring her back home safely without issue. It'd been all I'd been able to think about this last week. Sure she was a capable enough gal, and he knew the Wasteland could bring about unexpected distractions or sidetrack all kinds of things. Anything from the Raiders to Mutants to nasty critters and who knew what else, especially if some of the rumors from the other side of the region was anything to go by...

Sighing as I rub my head, I glance to the keyring I'd been holding onto. I'd checked in on her shop once or twice, but since nothing seemed disturbed, hadn't bothered much more with the place. But now, a week after she should have been back... with a grunt, I got up and got dressed before hurrying on out to the streets of Cayuga. A part of me hoping that I'd just round a corner and see that Lucia was strolling down the street, finally having returned home.

But more likely, it'd be the same as yesterday and the day before. No sign of her. I really hoped there'd be something in her shop that'd give me an idea of what might be taking her so long... or at least give me something to work with!

[jondude]

With more then a little anxiety building in your head over what may or may not have happened to Lucia you decide to head to her shop. Maybe you might be able to find some info to retrace her steps? Or at least get more some more info on the specifics of the sale she was doing beyond just selling sentry bots to someone who had the money to fork out for such things. You get dressed, check your gear quickly, then head out.

Out on the streets of Cayuga a gust of wind hits you, carrying with it a few leaves the blow by you, your long hair blowing in the breeze as you walk toward Lucia's shop. The town itself seems more muted of late, with not too many walking around despite it being the middle of the day. It could just be a random quiet period, but it also almost feels like something was coming a little. Maybe that was the concern for your friend talking though. Worry did tend to make one jump at shadows from time to time after all.

You get to her shop after a quick five minute walk, and close the door behind you. The bright fluorescent lights take a few seconds to turn on, but soon your in the shop proper where counters and shelves are lined with various robotic and machine components. One counter though seems to have a random assortment of firearms, really leaning into the whole buying and selling everything that a lot stores did. You head around the counter and into the back to her workshop. There are a few terminals, along with a few scattered papers on one of the benches you might be able to check. Alternatively there is another door you can enter that leaves to her actual home.

[Kuragari]

The breeze is soft and cool, gentle and timid, but does nothing to soothe my worries as I walk through the streets of Cayuga. This place normally was a bit busier, and while this could just be a quiet time... I couldn't help but doubt such. This was a bit of a trading hub for this region, so even when it was quiet, the place still tended to be busy! And unlike most days, where I might have someone say hi or try a bit of chit-chatty small talk, no one seemed to be in a mood to converse. It only served to enhance the worry I felt as I walked into the shop.

Once again, nothing seems to have been taken since the last time I was here. Which was good, as it meant that just because she had been gone for longer didn't mean anyone had decided the place was there for the looting. As I made my way into the back, I glanced at the papers first, figuring I could check those, then the terminals. I'd save her home proper for last if I couldn't find something

[jondude]

The papers are mostly nothing, simply written lists of parts she needed for the various models of half built robots in her shop area. Some seem to have various notes and math equations on them regarding electrical power and such. It seems she was on the hunt for more sentry bot stuff though. You can't blame her for that, as those robots were great items to those who had the cash to fork out for them! You manage to find one paper that is essentially a printed invoice for the latest job she was on however. It was for 4x restored sentry bots, each equipped with a gatling laser, minigun, and shoulder mounted rocket pods. The going rate for each was eight thousand caps, meaning this job was making Lucia 32,000 caps. A huge amount of money! No wonder she was taking the risk for that.

Heading to the terminal you find it's unlocked, and is basically all business stuff about more orders and stuff. Poking around a little further gets you to log about the various details of the job however. Apparently she was approached in person a few months ago when the bots were almost complete about the order. Nothing all that crazy, but apparently the client was the Gun Runners so you the client at least made sense given the money that was being spent. Apparently the bots were to be going to a facility they had in a place called Lakeport, north of the ruins of Detroit. Apparently however the route the convoy she joined was taking was taking the risk of heading through the wastes of the state of Ontario. Given the urban density of southern ontario, the bombs had it very hard during the war, and made the whole area incredibly dangerous. The place was crawling with ghouls and mutants of all sorts of twisted creatures in between. Normally convoys would stick to traditional US soil rather then risk the crossing, accepting a longer journey since it was much safer. Apparently this convoy was large and well armed however, and confident they could make it through.

Well, that isn't the best news. You've done a new scavenging runs into the wastes of southern Ontario, and while there was definitely a lot of good loot there the place was some of the most dangerous you've ever been to. There were things worse then death claws in there...

[Kuragari]

I couldn't help but shake my head at the papers. Mostly because a small part of me was impressed anyone had that many caps to spend! And I couldn't help but wonder just how long it even took Lucia to get four sentry bots built that matched these requirements. This must have been something long in the making. Though, one would think if she had that kind of firepower with her, nothing would have tried to mess with her or the convoy! Switching over to the terminal, things don't seem to be going anywhere here either for a few minutes... but then he learns just what route it was.

"Hmm..." He takes a moment, then grabs a paper and pencil, and does some rough math. Maybe Lucia wasn't actually missing. Maybe she was just still en route. Though, on the flipside, if she wasn't late, then with the route she had taken, that might mean something had happened to her and-

No, he was sure of it. Something just told him she was still alive. Maybe it was vain hope or faith. But that did give him the idea that if he wanted to try and track her down, he knew where to go. Though he'd probably need more stuff if he was going to try such, given at the moment he was really only geared up for local, small time stuff.

[jondude]

Given the distance you suppose she might still just be traveling, and with the firepower that she had with her she should be fine... still, something feels a bit off, and you like to think your intuition has never led you astray yet. You can't help but think she was in trouble somehow, though deep down you know that whatever the case and wherever she was, she was still alive.

Stewing a little in the shop, you find yourself deciding that, at the very least, it never hurts to be prepared. Maybe you should tackle a few higher paying jobs and gear up a bit? Best case scenario you'd find yourself with extra cash and better gear and Lucia would turn up and be completely find and rich to boot. Worst case, you'd be more prepared to rescue her should you learn of anything new that might hint she was in trouble out in wastes somewhere.

[Kuragari]

Gearing up for a search and rescue would take more than what he had right now. Kayin was positive about that. After a moment more of lingering about the store and looking for anything else that might give him any kind of clues or info, he decides to leave. His first thought is to go check the Mayor's building, to see if the help board had anything, or if the Mayor Cayuga had any jobs he needed. If he couldn't find anything there, well, he'd check out the bars in town or failing that ask around. He tried to recall how many caps he had, in case he needed to (or even could) seek to get something before heading out on any possible jobs.

[jondude]

You had to the town hall of Cayuga where luckily there was always a pretty well used job board. All sort of work could be found here, from help notices for more mundane jobs like cleaning and fixing things, to extermination requests, and usually there was always plenty of jobs requesting specific salvage. Work like that was how you meet Lucia in the first place!

Checking the board you find some decent jobs all over... exterminate mole rats at this farm for 300 caps... kills some ghouls in the sewer system near the old Cayuga downtown area for 400 caps. Collect 30 pounds of aluminum salvage for some local mechanics for 300 caps... There is a sudden job that catches your eye though. A request for something specific: a fusion cell charging coupler. There was even a hint at where to get it. General Atomics nuclear power station #477 northwest of here. You've actually been there once or twice before, but the area itself was a little spicy so to speak. A fair few feral ghouls you recall. It was near the edge of Lake Ontario as it used to use the lake water for cooling back when it was operational. The reward for the job was 2500 caps. Enough money to certainly gear you up for an expedition right there in one shot!

[Kuragari]

Strolling into the Town Hall and approaching the job board... Kayin took a look at what there was. Mole Rat... easy. Ghouls... variable. Collecting salvage was also variable. Anywhere from a cakewalk to risking one's life. As he spots the job for hunting down a fusion cell charging coupler... he let out a whistle and then nods. Handful of feral ghouls in a nuclear power station? As long as there weren't any glowing ones, that should be easy enough. And worth a ton of caps!

Making note of the location it mentions, Kayin quickly sets off. No time like the present!

[jondude]

Deciding to get straight to it you head out. The power station wasn't all that far away by foot luckily. You could probably get there in about 3 hours on foot. Assuming a similar time to get back you'd have a good 6 to 7 hours to scavenge at the site before it got dark out. Hopefully you could find what you needed quicker then that though and be back well before dark. Heading out the town gates you make sure your 10mm pistol is ready and try to reason through the threats you might face once you're there. Ghouls were definitely possible, but given it's location on the shore of the great lakes mirelurks were certainly a possibility too. Turrets potentially and robots potentially too, depending on how deep you went in. Certainly possible that those could all be knocked out though.

PER Roll: 4 + 1 = 5

As you walk you find yourself checking your tools quickly, wanting to be sure you had everything you'd need to extract the salvage you wanted to get without damaging it if possible. You get a little too engrossed however and fail to notice the slightly off color patch of ground near the edge of the road. As you get close said patch of road pops up from the ground, revealing itself to be a radscorpion! Though luckily it was a smaller of variety, a little smaller then your average dog unlike the behemoths that were nearly the size of cars. It skitters towards you, tail lancing out to strike, but by the the barest of margins you manage to scramble back a few steps, dodging further strikes until you manage to jump over an old concrete highway median and but a barrier between you and it. It scrambles at the barrier, trying to get over, but is unable, soon skittering off to the left to try and find a way through. You could either move on, or use this opportunity to shoot it.

[Kuragari]

Yelping and shouting, "Shit shit shit!" even as he realized the thing wasn't a big huge one, he quickly scrabbled for some cover and briefly found himself glad to keep some space between himself and the large critter. Even if it wasn't the normal size, it was still potentially a fair bit of trouble. As much as Kayin had a bit of rounds with him, Radscorpions could sometimes be bullet sponges. Both from personal experience and second hand experience.

So instead of fighting it, he decides to try and lose the thing and get away. Conserve his bullets for the place he was actually heading off to if he could.

[jondude]

Luckily there are no breaks in the concrete median for a while, allowing you to put some quick distance between you and the radscorpion. Luckily those giant bugs didn't have the best eye sight too, so after a brisk job a couple hundred meters or so you find yourself free to go. Still though, you resolve to pay better attention! Odds are there would be worse things down at the nuclear plant. Ideally ones that would also be less armored too, so your bullets went a little further. Should it come to that anyway.

Pressing onward you soon make it to the site, the looming stacks of decrepit cooling towers coming into view over the tree line as you skirt the desiccated town it was near. When you get close you spend a few minutes examining the area, trying to spot any threats, but... don't mind much. You don't spot any mirelurks near the water's edge. No robots rolling around... not even so much as bloat fly. Granted, there could still be lots of threats inside the plant itself. You decide not to question your good fortune and head inside, easily finding a break in the plant fence line in order to do so.

Inside you spend a little more time being through with your search, but still don't find anything hostile, so head inside the main doors. You are greeted with an office area, eerily silent like many post wars buildings... but extra so. You take a minute to pause a listen... but there is nothing. You shrug and head through the building, following old signs to point you toward a commercial battery charging facility. When you get there you peer inside and... once again nothing. This time though you do note what appears to the remains of smashed security turrets. Maybe a larger group had raided this site previously? You hadn't found too much typical scrap after all.

Near a large power and fuel conduit in the back though you spot what you are looking for. A industrial fusion battery power bank. All the battery themselves are long gone, but nearly all the couplers are there and intact. It would probably take you about twenty minutes to take one off without breaking it with your current tools.

[Kuragari]

Kayin was beginning to grow... suspicious of the lack of trouble as he proceeded from one section of his trip to the next, more so once he got into the nuclear plant in question. The lack of hostiles of any kind was weird. Convenient too. It put him very much on edge as he glanced this way and that, and soon enough once he had slipped inside and found smashed security turrets...

He drew his pistol. Kept it very close and at the ready. Even when he found what it was he'd come for, he hesitated a moment. Almost waiting or expecting something to spring out of nowhere once he decided to get to work. But after five minutes of standing next to the battery power bank and nothing happening, he went ahead and moved to start getting to work on the thing.